The inhabitants of the Haut-Mbomou prefecture are worried about the lack of security maintained by the Moroccan contingent of MINUSCA in their locality. That is why during a press conference held on April 15, 2024 in Bangui, the outgoing Economic Adviser of Haut Mbomou, Parfait Romaric Achille Sangou-Zirani asked the government to investigate the morale of the Moroccan contingent of MINUSCA for its complicity with the rebels of the UPC in the context of the security, social and economic crisis in the prefecture of Haut-Mbomou.
Thus, according to the Economic Adviser of Haut Mbomou, for more than three months, several localities in Haut Mbomou have been experiencing a deterioration in the security situation, despite the presence of Moroccan and Portuguese contingents of the UN mission.
Citing concrete examples, the outgoing Economic Adviser of Haut Mbomou, Parfait Romaric Achille Sangou-Zirani, condemns the inaction of the Moroccan and Portuguese contingents of MINUSCA in the face of the crimes of the rebels of the UPC.
“Chronologically, several events took place in the space of just three months. Between February 19 and 24, 2024, there was an attack on the village of Maboussou (PK 80 of Zemio) by the elements of the UPC followed by fires of more than 87 residential houses and the total destruction of the health post of the said locality. This attack caused the death of 11 people including women and a 6-year-old child. On the same day, the Manza village also suffered attacks by these UPC armed men who massacred five people and burned down ten (8) houses. On March 28, 2024, a kidnapping of 5 children whose age varies between 11 and 16 years old took place in Koumounoungo village; these children are still nowhere to be found until today. These terrorist acts that the UPC commit on the civilian population have become commonplace in the Haut-Mbomou prefecture. On April 1, 2024, in the village of Koumounoungo, there was a killing and massacre of three young people on the Mboki axis. On April 3, 2024, a 26-year-old young man was shot in the leg by a UPC element near the MINUSCA military base without their reaction. This young man remains hospitalized to this day. On April 13, 2024, three unarmed civilians were slaughtered by a group of three elements of the UPC led by the formidable terrorist named Boule at pk 18 of Zémio route de Rafaï and tortured a humanitarian from the JUPEDEC NGO”, said Parfait Romaric Achille Sangou-Zirani.
The Economic Adviser indicated that these crimes were committed in the presence of the Moroccan peacekeepers, while the local authorities had repeatedly asked, without success, the Moroccan contingent to accompany them to ascertain the facts and assist the victims.
On the basis of the above, the population of the prefecture of Haut Mbomou, through the voice of Parfait Romaric Achille Sangou-Zirani, asks the government to open an independent investigation into the dubious morality of the Moroccan contingent.
